San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 69, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 21, 2000 Page: 5 of 12
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Page 5 San Antonio Register Newspaper September 21,2000
The Aesthetic Realism Teaching Method—
the Solution to the Crisis in Education!
by Donna Lamb,
Aesthetic Realism Consultant
The following paper by Helena
Simon was part of a thrilling public
seminar presented at the Aesthetic
Realism Foundation in New York
City entitled “The Aesthetic
Realism Teaching Method Is the
Solution to the Crisis in Educa-
tion—Teachers Tell Why!”
As outlined in the flyer announc-
ing this seminar, the Aesthetic
Realism Teaching Method is based
on these crucial principles stated by
Eli Siegel:
1. The purpose of education is to
like the world through knowing it.
2. The central cause of the inability
to leam is dislike of the world, a
contempt for it Contempt—the
' ‘disposition in every person to think
he will be for himself by making less
of the outside world’’—is also the
cause of the violence that has turned
our country's schools into war
zones.
3. In the following principle is the
means to oppose contempt, defeat
it—and see the exciting, friendly
meaning every subject in the cur-
riculum has: “The world, art, and
self explain each other: each is the
aesthetic oneness of opposites. ”
This principle—used with docu-
mented success for over a quarter of
a century—is the basis for; teaching
subjects from reading to algebra to
history. It enables teachers to show
how every'fact has in it the aesthetic
structure of the world and of
themselves: the oneness of oppo-
sites. Young people see that a
chemical equation is NOT an enemy
to keep out, but an exciting friend!
And the result is: Students welcome
the facts of reality into their minds,
and learn!
The Aesthetic Realism
Teaching Method
Is the Solution to the
Crisis in Education—
Teachers TeJI Why!
By Helena Simon
Teaching
third grade
at PS 57 in
East Harlem
has been
one of the
biggest ex-
periences
of my life.
1 am very
grateful for
the Aes-
thetic Realism Teaching Method,
which made my first year of
teaching so good and useful. 1
know firsthand that this great
educational method can and will
end the crisis in American
schools—the fights in classrooms,
the low reading scores, the dullness
and despair I saw in many of my
young students.
I am proud to have seen some-
thing of the tremendous impor-
tance of this principle, which Eli
Siegel stated: “The purpose of
education is to like the world
through knowing it.” Every fact in
the curriculum, 1 have learned,
represents a world whose structure
we can honestly like—the oneness
of opposites. As 1 studied along
with my students reading, writing,
math, and science, we saw that
each of these subjects is an exciting
relation of opposites—the same
Selina often hid under tables.
Stephanie Jackson was in her own
world, hardly ever speaking.
Because of what they had been
through so early in their lives, these
children already felt the way to
take care of themselves in an
unkind, confusing world was to
protect themselves by lashing out,
or by retreating, and this was
hurting their ability to leam. Every
child, Aesthetic Realism shows,
has a fight all the time between
wanting to see meaning and
friendliness in the world and
hoping to have contempt for it—
As I studied along with my sf
ing, writing, math, and sciem
that each of these subjects
relation of opposites—the same
we are trying to put together in oui _ „
opposites we are trying to put
together in ourselves. And 1 saw
these young people change, be-
come excited, and leam!
The eight- and nine-year-old chil-
dren in my class were from Puerto
Rico, Mexico, Yemen, North Caro-
lina and East Harlem. A number of
them had been left back Many of
them had endured terrible hardship.
I was very much affected by how
angry and sad they were. Several
lived in foster homes, and one
child, Roberto, was living with his
mother in a shelter—they had lost
all of their belongings. At the be-
ginning of the year he refused to do
any school work, would spit in
children’s faces, grab tliem and put
them into headlocks, and would
scratch his own hands until they
bled.
I was told that another boy,
Bryan*, had scratched a child’s
face in kindergarten, and had been
suspended several times. Some-
times he came in without having
eaten, crying because his stomach
hurt, and 1 sent him down to the
cafeteria for a sandwich. Tyquan
had lost his grandmother, who had
taken care of him. Almost every
day he would get into arguments or
hit a child in gym or during recess.
Before the school term began,
Janice’s father had died. She
seemed both resigned and bitter,
said no one could understand what
she felt, and often yelled at other
children. Shaniqua Thomas was
unable to read at all—she either
talked loud'v. or sucked her thumb
while playing with her hair. Mona
and Selina would wander around
the classroom, sometimes stealing
other students’ belongings, and
and these children had this fight
intensely. I knew I needed to show
them that every subject we would
study represents a world that can
honestly be respected. And the
means to this is through the
magnificent principle stated by Eli
Siegel, which I am proud to say
was the basis of my lessons: “The
world, art, and self explain each
other: each is the aesthetic oneness
of opposites.”
We Begin with an Object
Lesson—What Can We
Learn from a Sunflower
about the World and
Ourselves?
\T..,, y 'h f r
jr
*
J&j
Part of the third grade curriculum is
descriptive writing, in which
among the things we study are
objects in the world around us,
including growing things. Early in
the year 1 brought several large
sunflowers to school, and asked the
children to describe them—saying
Bryan Gill in (middle) is a member of the Judson High School Football team. He and his friend were at Redeeming
Grace Baptist Church where they participated in a wedding. Photo by Emma
uiey would get to draw and write
about them. As 1 held one up, it
was clear the students liked it very
much, and several children said,
“It’s beautifuP’ I told the class 1
learned from Aesthetic Realism
that a thing is beautiful because of
the way it puts opposites to-
gether—for example, the way the
stem is so strong and also very
graceful. “Is it strong enough to
hold up the head of the sunflower,”
I asked, “and flexible enough to
bend gently and gracefully?” I saw
a look of wonder in the children’s
faces and many said Yes! The class
was very attentive; everyone was
looking at the sunflower, and all
the children were raising their
hands to speak.
One student said, “The flower
has yellow petals and the center of
the flower is brown and black.”
“So, does it put together dark and
light?” 1 asked. “Right!” they said.
“Does the world have both?” I
asked. “Have we felt we were in
the dark sometimes, and at other
times thought things looked light
and friendly?” “Yes,” said Tyquan,
who had lost his grandmother. “Do
you think this flower puts these
opposites together beautifully? Do
the dark part and light part add to
each other?” He said “Yeah!” And
Stephanie Jackson, who had been
so separate and hardly spoke,
added excitedly, “There are many
petals and one stem!” It is amazing
to see how together they make a
single radiant flower.
As the children described the
sunflower, 1 wrote the opposites
they spoke of on the board: hard
and soft, dark and light, one and
many, strong and gentle. “Do we
want to be strong and gentle,” [
asked. “And does this sunflower
show us we can be both?” Yes,
they said. During the lesson
nobody was fighting. They were
seeing that this flower, through the
oneness of opposites in it, stands
for the world that makes sense and
is friendly. Now they wanted to
draw the sunflower, and it is
important that everybody wanted to
write sentences describing it and
why they liked it. Laura Vega, who
had said she didn’t like to write,
wrote four sentences: “I like
sunflowers. They are bright
yellow. They face the sun. Their
eye is black.”
* The names of the children have
been changed.
[To be continued]
to learn more about Aesthetic
Realism, the philosophy founded
by the great American poet and
educator, Eli Siegel, please con-
tact the Aesthetic Realism Foun-
dation, a not-for-profit educational
foundation, at 141 Greene St.,
NYC 10012, (212) 777-4490;
www.AestheticRealism.org
Salas urges
permanent solution
to abandoned
cemeteries
District Two City Councilman
Mario Salas will urge the adoption
of an ordinance that will give the
City of San Antonio possession of
five African American cemeteries
located in the heart of the Eastside.
The cemeteries, dating back to the
late I800’s, are owned by the
Knights of Pythias, Beacon Light
Masonic Lodge No. 50, the United
Brothers of Friendship, the Grand
United Order of Odd Fellows, and
Antonio Lodge No. L
San
Salas says, “ Unfortunately, these
cemeteries have been abandoned
or forgotten over the years. Now
we have a chance to reclaim them
and give them the care and
attention they should have.”
In recent years, state prison
crews have cleaned and mowed the
neglected private cemeteries, and
several area youth organizations
have sent their volunteers to help
on different occasions. Just this
August a group of concerned
citizens banded together to tackle
the high grass, weeds, and trash
Thetostoff mentauireBataBfcrdMi Center are always ready to serve
you. (L-R) RodnUtaJonea. Charlie Tborton and AkngoMcKinny, assistant
Director.
ift •
Texas Burial Life
TINS U R A N C F. C O M P A N Y
We Pay Fast!
$5,000 Cash Policy
FEMALE: age 50 $11.22 mo.
MALE: age 55 $16.15 mo.
No physical exams
Can (210) 662-9300
that had accumulated over the past
year.
“The City’s plan now”, Salas
says, “is to take legal steps to
temporarily clean the cemeteries
and eventually take possession of
them. That’s where a new
ordinance will come in.” That will
allow the abandoned plots to be
added to the City’s cemetery
system for maintenance and
upkeep by the Parks and
Recreation Deportment. The city is
now attempting to contact the
owners and anyone who has an
Interest in the African American
cemeteries. They hope they can*
send the proposed ordinance to
City Council for a vote sometime
in late October of this year.
BIDS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
for
Design & Implementation of a Drug
Education Training Plan
for the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program
P
Receipt of Proposals
The HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO
| (hereafter “SAHA”) will receive proposals for the design and
implementation of a Drug Education Training Plan for the Public
Housing Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP) until 10:00 a.m. (local
I time) on the 28th day of September, 2000, at SAHA’s Central
Office, Community Initiatives Department, located at 818 South
Flores, San Antonio, Texas 78207
Availability of Specifications Packages
Specifications packages are available at SARA’S Office of
| Procurement, located at 1310 South Brazos, San Antonio, Texas
178207, Phone (210) 270-9802
Pre-Submittal Meeting
A pre-submittal meeting is scheduled at 10:00 a.m. (local time) on
the 14th day of September, 2000, in the SAHA Board Room
j located at 818 South Flores, San Antonio, Texas 78204
Attendance is strongly recommended.
jjTime and Place of Opening of Proposals
| Proposals will be publicly opened at 10:00 a.m. (local time) on the
28th day of September, 2000, at SAHA’s Cental Office,
Community Initiatives Department, located at 818 South Flores,
? San Antonio, Texas 78207 Phone (210) 270-1409.
SAN ANTONIO HOUSING AUTHORITY
MELVIN L. BRA2IEL - President and CEO
(P.O. # 82821 - run 8/31, 9/7, 9/14 & 9/21/00) |
SAN ANTONIO HOUSING AUTHORITY
INVITATION FOR BIDS
!§
The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA)
is bidding the project known as:
SAN PEDRO ARMS APARTMENTS, TEX6-41
ROOF REPLACEMENT AND REPAIR
2103 San Pedro, San Antonio, Texas
| Plans and Specifications are available and copies may be obtained j
at the office of Nored Shearer Architects, 915 South Alamo, San!
Antonio, Texas 78205 by leaving a $50 deposit check made out to J
| SAHA
Bids will be received at SAHA’s Office of Architectural and
Construction Services, 818 S. Flores, Suite 211, until 2:00 pm.
local time on Wednesday, October 4, 2000, at which time all bids
will be publicly opened and read aloud. The pie-bid meeting will be
| held at SAHA’s Office of Architectural and Construction Services,
3rd floor Conference Room, 818 S Flores, Suite 211, San Antonio,
Texas on Wednesday, September 20, 2000, at 10:30 a.m.
I Inquiries may be directed to Cathetine Nored, President of Nored
| Shearer Architects at (210) 229-9693
SAN ANTONIO HOUSING AUTHORITY
Melvin L Braziel, President and CEO
(P.O. #82963 - run 9/7, 9/14, 9/21 ft 9/28/00)
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MEMORIAL PARK
“Keeping families
together since 1963”
Can (210) 661-3991
5611 E. Houston, San Antonio, Texas
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San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 69, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 21, 2000, newspaper, September 21, 2000; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth842395/m1/5/: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UT San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.